Midtown Patch: Copper, Aluminum Lifted from A/C Unit at Midtown Tire
MPSA Mailbag 5/25/2011
What the neighbors are telling us. As always, mailbag items do not necessarily represent MPSA position.
We woke up this morning and our keys only fit in about 75% of the way into our front door. I had a locksmith out and he fixed it. He said it was very possible someone tried to pick the lock but also possible it just broke. Just wanted to reach out to you 2 and see if there were break ins in the area. It might be nothing but we are going to have our locks changed and keep the porch lit at night, along with the flood lights we normally keep on.
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Hey, peeps. I was just driving eastbound on Ponce de Leon and noticed a big “bank-owned” for sale sign installed in the front yard of 529 Ponce. FYI, this is that old, run-down, red brick apartment building at the southeast corner of Kennesaw Avenue and Ponce. There are often vagrants and street loonies loitering out front, with steady foot traffic to and from the Ponce Hotel just to the east.
Anyone know the story here? I just checked the online Fulton County tax records, which indicate that the last owner was named Vintage Investment Properties – they purchased the building in April of 1997 for $390K. If the property has gone to foreclosure, this could result in the eviction of the current tenants and possibly renovation or redevelopment, which would be great. On the other hand, with the slow economy and glutted real estate market, the property might just languish and deteriorate further, with little or no “management” by bank’s representatives. Let’s keep an eye on this situation and share any information that we have.
MPSA NOTE: In the past this building has hosted significant criminal activity. Donald Rayfield, currently in prison for 2009 burglaries in Midtown & Virginia Highland, stayed in an apartment there while he was criminally active here. Heather Whitfield, who was the subject of a warrant in 2008 or 2009, also lived there. In the past residents have reported significant drug activity there.
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We were walking in the park last night around 7:15 and saw two suspicious black males in the bushes between the pool area and the Mayor’s Grove playground. It looked like they were either soliciting for male prostitution or selling drugs. They may be refugees from the prostitution bust on Ponce, but it seems like something someone needs to know about it. Especially so close to the playground. Thanks for your help and everything you guys and the police do to keep the park safe for everyone.
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From an MPSA Board member: Ever wonder why we are too slow to pass things along? This video might shed some insight...
Criminal At Large in the Community
Atlanta Police is seeking to identify a woman in connection with robberies at several businesses. According to the Police, this subject robbed the Rite Aid pharmacy at 1512 piedmont Avenue on 5/12/11 at 10:10 am, the Rite Aid Pharmacy at 891 Ponce de Leon Avenue on 5/14/11 at 1:55pm, CVS Pharmacy at 2350 Cheshire Bridge Road on 05/20/11 at 6:00 am, and the Rite Aid Pharmacy 2020 Howell Mill Road on 05/24/11 at 9:54 am. This criminelle was last seen driving a tan or gold Jeep Liberty.
She is a white female, 5’6” in height, and the Atlanta Police estimates her weight at 120 pounds and age to be 50-60 years old. Anyone with insights or information on the idenity of this suspect should call Crime Stoppers Atlanta (404) 577-tips (8477).Photos below:
Security in Piedmont Park may be eliminated
CALL TO ACTION (From Piedmont Park Conservancy)
[PPC members] are the most important voice of the Piedmont Park Conservancy. In recent days, PPC has been in City Hall, advocating for Atlanta’s parks and fighting a budget decision handed down by the City of Atlanta which calls for a 15% reduction of the full budget for Atlanta’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. You may already know, but this budget calls for a COMPLETE CUT OF PIEDMONT PARK SECURITY. The Park currently uses private security to maintain the safety of Piedmont Park and its users in daylight hours and throughout the night. The proposed budget offers absolutely no provision for security in Piedmont Park- and there is no way to predict how this dangerous development may jeopardize this beautiful place that we have all invested in.
Though they generate zero income for the Park, 85% of the city’s permitted events happen in Piedmont Park. Currently, the City funds only $138,000 of PPC’s annual $3 million operations budget, a contribution which covers restroom up-keep and security. The elimination of the security funds brings the City’s contribution to less than 1% of Piedmont Park’s operating cost, leaving Piedmont Park Conservancy to fund the other 99% in private donations! This is a cost we cannot bear- it will seriously affect our ability to adequately maintain Piedmont Park, including over $60 million in recent improvements.
We need your help- we need your voice. Please call and email the City of Atlanta Office of Constituent Services and let them know that the City MUST reinstate the full parks budget for the safety and upkeep of ALL Atlanta’s parks. Forward this email to your friends and neighbors. Spread the word that the Green Heart of Atlanta is at risk. We have built Piedmont Park together- together we must work to make sure it stays safe.
To Contact City of Atlanta Office of Constituent Services:
- Andrea Boone, Director | Phone: 404-330-6023 | Email: aboone@atlantaga.gov
Jazz Festival this weekend
The Jazz Festival will take place this coming weekend, and according to representatives of the Midtown Neighbors Association the festival calls for the complete closing of Tenth Street throughout the entire four-day event. We will likely experience significant traffic chaos throughout the weekend, and nobody has shared with us any plans for security, convenient and efficient access for residents, or any other details. From what we have been told, The Jazz Festival was also given a permit to use the campus of Grady High School, without input from Grady’s PTA and without consideration to the impact it will have by depriving the PTA of an annual fundraising opportunity. Several months ago organizers appeared before NPU-E, who voted unanimously not to recommend approval for the extended street closings for a number of reasons. Despite opposition, the department handling permits issued the permit and reminded neighborhood groups that neither the permitting department nor the organizers of this event have any obligation to give consideration to the neighborhood.
Going forward, it will be important for Midtowners to document the negative effects of this event with photos and emails and send them to us for forwarding. Hopefully next year neighborhood groups can leverage this year’s experience during the permitting process.
- Midtown Patch: Residents Against Closing of 10th Street for Jazz Fest
Sponsors
Many thanks for our community sponsors! While the majority of our funding comes from residents and small businesses, a significant portion of our neighborhood patrol funds comes from the following sponsors:
